Conventional electricity storage and discharge devices such as the primary or secondary side batteries or capacitors are usually provided with a current collecting terminal on a single side of each electrode plate for collecting the output or input current or for using as a joint node of a series or parallel combination with other electrodes. Because the electrode plate has only a single side input or output current, in case of a larger current input and output transfer, the region close to the current collecting terminal and the region farther away from the current collecting terminal have non-uniformed current densities, thus deteriorating the performance of the electricity storage and discharge device. In addition, for parallel combinations of electrode plates having the same polarities, or series combinations of electrode plates having different polarities, the current collecting terminals of the individual electrode plates are mutually connected or connected with the electricity conducting terminals by welding or pressure joining methods, resulting in a higher internal resistance.
An electricity storage/discharge device with a low internal resistance current collector structure includes an electrode plate having at least two current collecting terminals arranged to form at least two input or output current circuits to reduce the internal resistance of the electricity storage/discharge device. The two or more current collecting terminals of the electrode plates include externally extending current terminals, sides of the electrode plate, or solid or hollow tube-shaped conductor rods made from a conducting material and having circular, square or other geometric shapes to penetrate the conductor through-holes provided in the electrode plates. By using the at least two current collecting terminals, electrode plates of the same polarity may be parallel connected, and electrode plates of different polarities may be series connected, or the electrode plates may be connected in a mixture of series and parallel combinations.
The structural characteristics of this design include all or part of the following features:
1. The positive and negative electrode plates may be circular, partially circular, elliptical, or in the form of polygons having three sides or more than three sides (including triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons or polygons with more than eight sides). Each of these low internal resistance current collector embodiments include the following: (1) the two or more sides of the electrode plates may be respectively installed with one or more outwardly extending current collecting terminals; and (2) one or more conductor through-holes are individually provided in selected areas of two or more sides, or near to the central region of the positive or negative electrode plates, so that selected areas of the two or more sides or central region of the aforesaid positive or negative electrode plates are respectively provided with one or more isolating spaces, notches or through-holes having a size larger than the conductor rods designed to allow for the penetration of the conductor rods without contact after the electrode plates are cross laminated, and thereby allow the electrode plates to have two or more input or output current circuits in order to lower the internal resistance of the electricity storage device.
2. Should conductor rods be used as the current collecting terminals, the conductor through-hole and the conductor rod can be joined by pressure or welding, by a press fit resulting from forced elastic deformation of an inserted tube shape conductor rod against the conductor through-hole in different geometric shapes, or by a press fit resulting from forced elastic deformation of a non-closed hollow tube structure with an axial opening clearance against the conductor through-holes.
3. Should conductor rods be used as the current collecting terminals, the positive or negative electrode plates may alternatively be provided with isolating spaces, notches or through-holes having a size larger than the conductor rod to allow for penetration of the conductor rod without contact after electrode plates of different polarities are cross laminated.
4. Should conductor rods be used as the current collecting terminals, the respective electrode plates may also be joined by penetrating the conductor rod through the conductor through-holes of the electrode plates to be in parallel combinations or series combinations or mixture of series-and parallel combinations.
5. Should conductor rods be used as the current collecting terminals, both ends of the conductor rod can be installed with press lock screws and matched with press lock nuts or unidirectional pressing washers to lock the conductor rod in place and enhance the structural stability of the electrode plates.
6. Should the conductor rods be used as the current collecting terminals, the conductor rods may be constructed of tube-shaped material, and cooling air or fluid can be pumped through the tube structure to cool the electrode plate.
7. By respectively installing one or more outwardly extending current collector terminals on two or more sides of the individual electrode plates to provide multiple parallel combination circuits between electrode plates having the same polarities, or series combination circuits between electrode plates having different polarities, the same electrode plate in the electricity storage device may be provided with two or more current circuits for input and output, thereby reducing the internal resistance during the electricity storage device input and output process.